Pathmakers

Pathmakers strengthens how young people lead in Milwaukee. Teens gain real experience, learn how the city works, and build the skills, confidence, and relationships that prepare them for every opportunity ahead.

Pathmakers serves youth who want to find their voice, build meaningful leadership habits, and contribute to their schools, families, and neighborhoods with purpose and care.

Become a Pathmaker

Civic Engagement Track

Pathmakers functions as the civic engagement track within Project Kindred’s Navigators system. Youth step into civic spaces, meet people who shape community life, and explore how public decisions affect daily life. Along the way, they discover that their own actions carry real power and possibility.

Learn More About Navigators

Who joins Pathmakers

Pathmakers welcomes youth in grades 9-12 who feel ready for real work and steady support.

  • care about their community

  • feel curious about how decisions shape daily life

  • want to lead with purpose, not only hold a title

  • feel ready for challenge and support at the same time

Youth come from many schools and neighborhoods across Milwaukee. Each teen carries a story, a set of strengths, and a growing sense of what kind of leader they want to become.

Pathmakers creates a community that helps teens:

  • understand how Milwaukee moves

  • grow leadership skills through practice

  • step into civic settings with confidence

  • take on meaningful work with real impact

  • reflect on their choices and values

  • build strong relationships with peers and mentors

The Pathmakers journey

  • Exploration

    Youth start connecting interests to what they see in their communities. They practice voice in small but meaningful ways and pay attention to how power moves around them. They also step into new spaces with curiosity and purpose.

    Guiding Question
    What shapes my life and my community?

  • Leadership

    Youth take initiative in planning, organizing, and moving others. They guide civic labs, help set group direction, and accept visible roles with partners and the public. They learn how to move a group from idea to action.

    Guiding Question
    How do I guide change with purpose and care?

  • Mentorship

    Youth lift others as they grow. They support peers, help younger youth navigate challenges, and represent their group in public settings. They learn when to step forward and when to step back so others can shine.

    Guiding Question
    How do I lead in ways that build power with others?

Become a Pathmaker

  • Young people move through Milwaukee with growing confidence. They visit civic spaces, meet leaders, and see how decisions shape daily life. They begin to understand that the city belongs to them too.

  • Youth practice planning, communication, and decision making through real projects. Each experience helps them understand their strengths and how to use those strengths with care and purpose.

  • Youth grow within a steady circle of mentors, peers, and caring adults. Together they listen, ask questions, and support one another through challenge and success.

What Pathmakers offers

The experience

Pathmakers offers learning that feels active, grounded, and connected to real life.

  • civic learning days around Milwaukee

  • workshops that build voice and confidence

  • real projects that serve schools and neighborhoods

  • partner sessions with local leaders

  • reflection circles that build trust

  • conversations that deepen understanding

Every experience shows youth how each moment shapes their growth and the life of the city.

Why this matters

Pathmakers prepares youth who carry courage, clarity, and care into their classrooms, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Teens learn how to move through Milwaukee with intention, make decisions that reflect their values, and support others with strength and respect. Families notice the growth. Schools gain students who show up ready to contribute. Community partners meet young people who understand civic life and want their actions to matter.

Pathmakers reflects a long promise within the Navigators system. Young people receive a pathway that lifts their talent, strengthens their leadership, and connects them to a community that supports them as they rise.

Join the Path